Fabrication of Thin-Walled Structures Via Laser Powder Bed Fusion Technique
摘要
The rapid evolution of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) has revolutionized manufacturing processes across various industries. One area of particular interest and significance is the production of thin-walled structures, which have widespread applications in fields including healthcare medical devices, automotive, and aerospace. However, very limited research has been performed on the fabrication of structures with thickness less than 500 µm. The primary objective of this research article is to investigate the viability of the LPBF process for manufacturing thin-walled structures. Particularly, the thin-walled structure having wall thicknesses of 350 and 300 µm at layer thickness of 20 µm has been fabricated. Further, thorough analyses of evaluating the surface features, dimensional accuracy, and viability of LPBF in achieving these intricate designs were done. The surface features of the fabricated specimens are found to be irregular in shape. The irregularities in the fabricated specimens arise from the presence of spatter particles and its clusters adhering to the edges of the specimen. The fabricated specimens exhibit increased width compared to the designed wall width, mainly attributed to the preheating effect. Hence, the current study demonstrates the feasibility of fabricating thin-walled structures using LPBF, yet further optimization of process parameters, structure orientation, material composition, and post-processing is essential to achieve more accurate intricate designs successfully. The present work on analyzing and fabricating thin-walled structures contributes valuable insights to advance additive manufacturing, enabling innovative thin structural design possibilities and enhanced engineering solutions.